The present invention relates to a collector of solar energy for converting such solar energy into electrical energy, and including a plurality of strip-like mirrors arranged so as to direct radiation towards the rear of the next mirror, which rear carries solar cells.
A solar energy collector of the type to which the invention pertains is, for example, disclosed in German Pat. No. 25 57 296. The striplike mirrors of this collector have a parabolic curvature so that a near focal line kind of concentration of the radiation is produced on solar cells carried by the rear side of the mirror strip next to the first one. This way, it is possible, to convert solar radiation into electrical energy very efficiently. The rear of striplike mirrors act also as radiators in the sense that, in fact, the solar cells remain sufficiently cool in spite of the concentration of radiation on them. Hence, the efficiency is not reduced on account of undue heating. This arrangement makes it possible to extract a significant amount of electrical power from solar radiation while utilizing a smaller number of solar cells than was heretofore possible. Efficiency, in turn, reduces to a considerable extent the weight per unit power obtained.
Weight reduction is a particularly important aspect for so-called solar panels as they are used in space stations. On the other hand, it is an undesirable feature that the volume of such a solar energy collector is relatively large bearing in mind that surface area is the critical parameter and not volume for capturing solar energy. Unduly large volume requirement, in turn, means that the relatively expensive useful space in a space station is, in fact, reduced. Moreover, it is a disadvantage that the strip-like mirrors are adjustable only in conjunction with a panel adjustment for purposes of maintaining the arrangement in an efficient and desirable orientation towards the incoming radiation.